


When it rains...

by tangiblewhimsy



Series: Street Kids [15]
Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-25
Updated: 2012-07-25
Packaged: 2017-11-10 16:24:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/468315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangiblewhimsy/pseuds/tangiblewhimsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nino is in a foul mood. Ohno tries to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When it rains...

It was completely fucking unfair. How was it that temperatures could linger in ranges so balmy it made his ragged, thin shirt stick to his back with sweat, and then no more than ten hours later have the sun disappear as the sky sprang a leak? Wasn't weather supposed to have trends? Sometimes, Nino thought, it'd be better living in a place with monsoons. At least _then_ the rainfall was predictable by season.

He'd woken up to find the musty sleeping bag he and Aiba had patched and shared half submerged. And, of course, it was _his_ half that was sopping wet and _his_ jacket that got soaked through. Aiba hadn't escaped the rains completely, but at least he didn't look like he'd slept in a lake.

Nino had cursed creatively, stringing together verbs and nouns in combinations that made Aiba laugh. ("Wouldn't that...Would that even _fit_?" he had asked with horrified awe at one particularly descriptive expletive.)

Rain wasn't anything new. Nor was trying to find the spare change to pump into a public dryer for their wet belongings. It was a hazard they risked with some frequency. But Nino and Aiba were clever and adaptable. They had always managed before to minimize the discomfort and the hassle of throwing out water-logged belongings then scavenging for new ones.

Nino's rage was sourced in the fact that his trusty jacket, an ornament of several years, had finally worn through. The lining had to be ripped out long ago because he'd let someone use it as a pillow and they'd thrown up inside (a tragedy that had taught him a great deal about sharing), making it not the warmest jacket to be certain. But it was sturdy and it had been, until now, waterproof. It kept out the wind and the rain, which was about all Nino could ever ask for from his circumstances.

There was no way he was going to find a comparable coat this time of the year. The coat drives for homeless teens were only really active during the winter months. Really, that's the only time of the year anyone seemed to care anything about homeless teens. 'Domestically Challenged Youths', Sho had tried to call them once. Nino had responded by stealing his lunch, claiming a lack of table manners from being 'domestically challenged'.

His only other option was to attempt to line his beloved jacket. Nino had done most of the sewing on the old sleeping bag, so he was confident he could rig up something. But finding plastic that was thicker than cheap store bags discarded all over town was harder than it would seem.

Jacket left with Aiba in the laundry mat, it only made sense that it would start raining on Nino again during his search.

"Son of a rotting mule-whore," Nino swore under his breath, dropping the sopping plastic bags that would be useless to him anyway. Was it so much to ask for some portion of discarded tarp?

"Hello."

Nino spun around, water spiraling off of his shirt and sopping hair. Being that he'd just been digging around in a public garbage can like the miscreant he was, he hadn't exactly been expecting an address from much of anyone. But as his eyes landed on that familiar, round face with its serene smile and eyes twinkling with amusement, Nino let out a resigned bark of laughter at his own expense.

"Hi, Oh-chan," he said, face growing warm as he slicked his hair back in the still-pouring rain.

"Hi. What's a mule-whore?" Ohno asked, one of his hands raised in a short wave. The other held a simple plastic umbrella, which he held out from himself enough for Nino to fit beneath as well. A silent invitation to come in out of the rain.

Naturally stepping into the offered shelter, Nino did his best not to drip on Ohno's belongings. "A whore that services mules," he decided intuitively. He hadn't been paying attention to the words that had been coming out of his mouth, but it sounded like a satisfactory answer.

"Ah," Ohno said simply, needing no further explanation.

It was warmer out of the rain. Nino hadn't realized that it had been cold, but sharing the small space beneath a standard umbrella enlightened him to the fact that he was soaked through, right down to his socks. 

_More change for the fucking laundromat_ , he thought bitterly.

"Where's your coat?" Ohno asked, eying Nino curiously. Nino often wondered why people thought of the charming little man as oblivious when he tended to be quite keen at noticing what was important.

"I need to replace the lining," Nino explained, smoothing his wet bangs out of his face again as he tucked his elbows into himself and tried not to shiver.

Mouth drawing into a soft pout, Ohno shifted about, passing the umbrella to Nino. Nino watched at first with curiosity and confusion, then with disbelief as Ohno stripped his own jacket and slung it easily around Nino's huddled shoulders.

"Wait, no—"

"I needed a new one anyway," Ohno shrugged, taking back the umbrella and looking Nino over.

He was still sopping wet, likely getting the lining of the jacket around his shoulders damp. Water dripped from his too-long hair down the collar of his shirt, sliding along the length of his spine. He was pale, attempts at drawing his limbs into himself to conserve heat making him appear even smaller than he was in reality. Still, Ohno gave a satisfied nod and grinned.

They stood in the rain a few moments, quietly enjoying the solace of their bubble of dryness. After not so long, however, Ohno glanced at his watch.

"Ah, I gotta go," he said, flashing Nino an apologetic smile. "I'm working night shift."

"You should keep the showers unlocked tonight," Nino prodded, the idea of a hot shower sounding heavenly.

Nodding, Ohno gave a salute with his free hand.

They said their goodbyes and parted ways. Nino had thought he would take the jacket off, fold it over his arm to take back with him. But as soon as the shelter of the umbrella was gone and the proximity to Ohno's warmth diminished, he simply hugged it tighter.

It wouldn't be until he reached the laundromat, where Aiba napped vigilantly atop their backpacks, that Nino discovered the price tag of the new jacket he was wearing still attached to the cuff.


End file.
